


Three Days

by DeckofDragons



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Comfort, Cooking, Grief/Mourning, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-01
Updated: 2017-02-01
Packaged: 2018-09-21 08:17:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,112
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9539417
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DeckofDragons/pseuds/DeckofDragons
Summary: Underswap Sans invites himself over to make sure Swapfell Sans is going to okay after the loss of his brother.





	

The house felt empty with Papyrus gone. It was also cleaner without him there to make a mess every other day. But somehow that cleanliness didn’t bring Sans as much satisfaction as it should’ve. There was _supposed_ to be a mess here that Sans would’ve had to yell at Papyrus to clean up two or three times before he finally did it, while still being as lazy as possible. But there wasn’t. The house was just as immaculate as it had been for the past three days ever since Papyrus had been dusted.

Sans still refused to let himself cry about that. Crying was for weaklings and Sans, second in commander of the Royal Guard underneath Alphys, was _not_ weak. In this killed or be killed world people died sometimes, no use getting all upset about it.

There were times though when he wanted to cry. When he felt tears start to burn in his eye sockets that he could never let spill over, even in private. Times like now, when he returned home from patrol and expected to see Papyrus lounging on the couch smoking a cigarette even though cigarettes weren’t allowed in house. But there was no one. The house was empty and silent.

With a sigh, Sans slumped on the couch. He wished he could work all day and night and never have to return home. He’d killed the fuckers who’d dusted Papyrus pretty much as soon as he’d found out about it. But contrary to what he’d expected it hadn’t made him feel better. In fact, he’d felt worse ever since the rage had drained from him. It had left him feeling empty and alone.

He should probably make himself something to eat since he hadn’t eaten anything since breakfast that morning. But despite how long ago that had been he didn’t feel particularly hungry at the moment. And he didn’t have enough energy to cook anyway.

Maybe he should turn on the T.V. and see what was on. He’d never been a big fan of watching T.V. but the silence was starting to get to him. Or maybe he could go back out on patrol if Alphys would let him.

He was pulled out of his thoughts by the sound of someone knocking on the front door. Who could that be? He had no friends who would want to visit him at his house. And given the late hour and the fact that he’d just gotten off duty it couldn’t be related to the Royal Guard unless it was an emergency. Which it clearly wasn’t else the knock would’ve been much more forceful.

Curious and having nothing better to do, Sans stood up and made his way towards the door. After taking a second to make sure he still looked presentable he opened it.

It was Blueberry. An alternate version of himself who came from a nice version of his world. Despite them technically being the same person the only thing they had in common was that they were both neat-freaks. Which meant Sans got along better with him than any of their other alternates since they’d all been huge slobs.

“Hi,” Blueberry said with a strangely subdued smile. He was normally super happy all the time. The fact that he wasn’t meant something had to be wrong.

“Hello,” Sans said. “Is there a reason why you’re here?”

“I uh… heard about your brother.” That explained why he wasn’t as happy as he normally was.

Sans sighed as he stepped aside, allowing Blueberry to enter. “How’d you find out?” he asked. He swung the door shut once Blueberry was in.

“I overheard my brother talking about it with Red and Classic.” Ever since universe travel through the machines in the basement had been discovered a lot of Sanses and Papyruses met up occasionally to hang out. Sans himself had never done much of that, partly because he didn’t want to but also because most of the others didn’t like him for one reason or another. Papyrus on the other had loved hanging out with them.

“I uh wanted to come over and make sure you were going to be okay,” Blueberry continued. He was one of the few people who seemed to like Sans for some reason, even calling him a friend on more than one occasion.

Sans wasn’t sure how to respond to that. Of course he was going to be okay. This wasn’t the first time he’d lost someone he knew. Yeah sure, this was a bit different, it was his brother who’d died this time. But that didn’t mean Sans was going to go all weak at the knees and lose himself because of it.

“Does your brother know you’re here?” he said instead, keeping a tight rein on his emotions.

“No,” Blueberry said, confirming what Sans had expected. If Stretch knew he wouldn’t have let Blueberry come, especially alone. “But are you going to be okay? If you’d rather be alone I can go but…”

“Please stay,” Sans blurted out before he could stop himself. He didn’t want to be alone with the empty silence that had invaded his home since Papyrus had died. “I mean, I would very much like it if you… stayed for a little while. You did come all this way after all, might as well stick around for a little bit.” He hadn’t really come that far, just through the machine and the short walk to the front door from the basement entrance.

“Okay, I’ll stay,” Blueberry said. “Have you eaten supper yet?”

“No, not really,” Sans admitted.

“All right, I’ll make you something then.” With renewed enthusiasm Blueberry started making his way towards the kitchen.

“Wait, you don’t have to,” Sans objected, following him. Blueberry was his guest so he was supposed to be making supper for him. Not the other way around.

“I want to though,” Blueberry said. “I know you must be going through a hard time right now. I want to help in any way I can. So, anything I can do to make things even a tiny bit better for you I’ll do. Besides I recently got my hands on a new Mexican cookbook. And since I know you like Mexican food and cooking almost as much as I do, I figure I can share it with you.”

Sans stepped closer as Blueberry pulled a book out his pocket. It was indeed a Mexican cookbook. “Here, you can have it,” Blueberry said, holding it towards him. “I’ve already copied down and memorized most of the recipes in it, so I don’t need it anymore.”

“Are you sure?” Sans said as he reluctantly accepted it.

“Yeah, I was thinking about giving it to you for your birthday anyway. But I figure now might be a better time for it since you know…”

“I… okay, thanks.” It wasn’t a big deal or anything, Blueberry had probably found it where monsters found most interesting things like this, the Dump. But it was still a nice gesture and had lifted Sans’ spirits a bit.

Blueberry started prepping the kitchen for whatever it was he had decided to make. Sans flipped through the cookbook for a bit, spotting a few recipes he’d never seen before that he’d have to try out someday. He then moved to the cupboard where he kept all his other cookbooks.

He paused when he opened it though. Most of the books in there had been gifts from Papyrus. Every year for his birthday Papyrus had always gotten him either a new cookbook or some kind of fancy kitchen utensil that half the time he didn’t even know what did, but had gotten anyway since he’d thought Sans would like it.

That was all over now. On his next birthday, only a few weeks away, Papyrus wouldn’t be there to get him anything. Or for any of his future birthdays either.

His mood suddenly lower than ever, Sans closed the cupboard as fast as he could. He placed the cookbook Blueberry had given him on the counter in front of him. That wasn’t a very good place for it but he wasn’t in the mood to find a more suitable spot right now.

He wanted to cry again, could even feel the tears threatening to form. But he wasn’t going to. He’d known for years that Papyrus could be killed at any moment, that was just the kind of world they lived in. And the both of them had accepted that fact long ago. So, Sans shouldn’t have been so surprised or upset about it when he’d known it was basically inevitable anyway.

“Are you okay?” Blueberry asked, placing a gentle hand on Sans’ shoulder and causing him to jump in surprise.

“I uh… yeah, I’m okay.” It was a lie and they both knew it.

“I’m here for you. You know that, right?” Blueberry wrapped his arms around Sans, hugging him from behind.

It took all of Sans’ self-control not to burst into tears right then and there. “Yeah, I… know. But uh shouldn’t you be cooking, or something?”

“Okay, but if you need anything don’t hesitate to ask.”

Sans let out a sigh of relief as Blueberry withdrew, giving him a gentle pat on the back as he did so. If that hug had gone on for much longer Sans wasn’t sure if he would’ve been able to keep complete control of himself.

He had to take several minutes put his emotions back on a tight leash. Once he was sure he was no longer on the verge of tears he turned around to see what Blueberry was doing. Whatever he was cooking smelled delicious and was starting to reawaken Sans’ appetite.

He walked over to get a better idea of what it might be. It looked like some kind of fancy quesadilla. He recognized the ingredients as belonging to one of the recipes he’d briefly read over in the cookbook Blueberry had gifted him.

He was being a bad host for letting Blueberry do this for him but he didn’t really care all that much. When Blueberry set his mind to do something it took a lot to dissuade him. Sans was too tired to even try.

“There we go, all done,” Blueberry announced several minutes later. He flipped the quesadilla onto a plate he’d set besides the stove. He then pulled out the pizza cutter and cut it into four triangles. “Here you go.” He held the plate towards Sans.

“Uh, thanks,” Sans said as he accepted it. As he sat at the table he saw that Blueberry had also made himself one and sat at the table across from him.

As it turns out the food was as good as it smelled. Blueberry was almost as good a cook as Sans himself was. Sans was of course better because he was a master at everything he did and few if any could best him. Even an alternate version of himself.

The food and the small talk he exchanged with Blueberry as they ate lifted his mood considerably. He could almost pretend that it was just a normal day of Blueberry inviting himself over to share some cool recipe he’d learned or discovered through experimentation. But if that had been the case then Papyrus would’ve been in the other room napping, conveniently waking up only when supper was ready.

Once they were done eating they washed in the dishes in the sink before putting them back in their proper places. They then went back out into the living room and sat on the couch.

Blueberry would probably have to go home soon. It was late and his brother would no doubt be looking for him soon. But Sans didn’t want him to leave yet. It was childish and weak of him but he didn’t want to be alone. Blueberry’s company could almost mask the fact that Papyrus was missing from the house.

“So… can I ask how your brother… you know,” Blueberry said. “I asked my brother but he said I didn’t need to know.” That was just like Stretch, treating Blueberry like a child. “It’s okay if you don’t want to talk about it. I’m just curious that’s all.”

“He got drunk at Muffet’s again and angered the wrong group of people.” Sans had always told him not to spend so much time at Muffet’s, especially getting drunk. There’d been several instances before where he’d almost gotten killed for the same reason. Only this time Sans hadn’t been there to get him out of it like he should’ve been.

“Oh, I’m sorry.” Blueberry’s voice had genuine sorrow in it. “Do you… want to talk about it?”

“No, not really.” Sans sighed. What more was there to even say? Other than that Sans should’ve been there to get his irresponsible older brother out of trouble. Or that he should’ve taken more steps to ensure Papyrus didn’t get into that kind of situation to begin with.

“That’s okay, you don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to,” Blueberry assured him. “But if you ever do, I’ll be here to listen.”

Sans sighed again. He was unused to this kind of thing but he was glad Blueberry was there for him. And knowing Blueberry, he always would be.

A comfortable silence stretched between them for several minutes. During which Blueberry put a gentle arm around Sans, allowing him to lean into his side. Normally Sans wasn’t one for cuddling or much physical contact. But right now, it was kind of nice. He could use a little warmth and comfort, even if he’d never admit to such a weakness. As long as no one else saw, it would be fine.

“The last time I saw him, we were having a fight about something,” Sans said, breaking the silence. He didn’t know why he felt the need to share this but he did. “I don’t even remember what we were fighting about, probably a mess he’d made or something. But we got pretty mad at each other. I told him he was worthless and good for nothing. And then he told me that he already knew that and didn’t need to be told about it again. That’s when he left and went to Muffet’s and now I’m never going to see him again.”

After every fight they’d had, Papyrus had always stormed off to Muffet’s to get wasted. They’d always made up the next day though when they had both had calmed down, even apologizing if the word’s they’d exchanged had been bad enough. But that wasn’t going to happen this time. They were never going to make up and Sans was never going to get a chance to apologize.

“I’m _so_ sorry,” Blueberry said. “But I’m sure he knew you didn’t mean it and he would’ve forgiven you.”

Of course Papyrus would’ve forgiven him, he always had. But had he known that Sans had never really felt that way about him? Had he any idea how much he’d meant to Sans?

“I miss him.” Sans’ voice almost broke as he felt traitorous tears form in his eye sockets again, threatening to spill over.

“It’s okay,” Blueberry said, pulling him into a hug. “You can cry. It’s okay to cry.”

Sans wanted to pull away and tell him that no, it wasn’t okay to cry. He wasn’t a weak child, he had better control of his emotions than that. But instead he found himself pressing his face into Blueberry’s scarf, still fighting the urge to break down into sobs even as his tears did finally spill over.

Blueberry rubbed his back comfortingly. “It’s okay, you’re okay,” he murmured softly.

That was apparently all it took to break the floodgates. Clinging to Blueberry as if his life depended on it, Sans finally let loose and allowed himself to cry as much as he needed to. Which after three full days of pent up tension and grief was quite a bit.

He cried and cried until there was nothing left and he couldn’t cry anymore. He needed to let it all out, all his grief, guilt, and sorrow. He cried until he felt empty and drained, but so much better at the same time.

“You feel better?” Blueberry asked once his hiccupping sobs had finally trailed off.

“Y-yeah, thanks.” Sans nodded, still not yet willing to let go of Blueberry. Thankfully Blueberry seemed content to continue to hold him as well.

They stayed like that for a while before they finally pulled apart. Sans’ face was still wet with tears and he had to look a mess. But for once in life he didn’t care about his appearance and Blueberry wouldn’t either. There was a distinctive wet spot on Blueberry’s shirt and scarf where Sans had cried on him, but he didn’t seem to notice or mind.

“I’m sorry I didn’t come sooner,” Blueberry said. “I would’ve if I had known, but I didn’t find out until earlier today.”

“That’s okay.” Sans was just glad that he had come at all. The last three days had been the most miserable and lonely of all his life. He hadn’t even realized how badly he’d needed a friend until now.

“You want me to spend the night here tonight? So, you don’t have to be alone.”

“What about your brother? Won’t he notice you missing?”

“I told him I was going to Alphys’ place. He’ll think I’m spending the night at her house since I do that sometimes.”

Sans couldn’t lie to himself, he wanted Blueberry to spend the night. He liked Blueberry’s company and didn’t want to be alone. Even though he’d never admit to the latter aloud. “Sure, you can stay in my room with me then if you like.”

“That works.”

Blueberry followed him up the stairs to his room. Them being the same size meant Blueberry could borrow a pair of his pajamas, even if the colour didn’t suit him. After getting ready for bed and discussing their sleeping arrangements, they decided it was easiest for them to share the bed. There was plenty of room for the both of them.

“Thanks for… for everything,” Sans said in a whisper after they’d turned out the lights and crawled into bed together.

“Anytime,” Blueberry replied. “Now you want to cuddle?”

Sans almost said ‘no’. Cuddling was something weak monsters did for comfort. But instead he found himself saying, “Sure,” as he cuddled up against Blueberry. He didn’t care if he was weak for doing so. He just wanted Blueberry to hold him some more. It made him feel less alone.


End file.
